Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb initialize

2 senses of initialize

Sense 1
initialize, initialise -- (assign an initial value to a computer program)
       => determine, set -- (fix conclusively or authoritatively; "set the rules")

Sense 2
format, initialize, initialise -- (divide (a disk) into marked sectors so that it may store data; "Please format this disk before entering data!")
       => divide, split, split up, separate, dissever, carve up -- (separate into parts or portions; "divide the cake into three equal parts"; "The British carved up the Ottoman Empire after World War I")